1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to implantable medical devices, and more particularly, to implantable medical devices fabricated as composite structures.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Currently manufactured intravascular stents do not adequately provide sufficient tailoring of the microstructural properties of the material forming the stent to the desired mechanical behavior of the device under clinically relevant in-vivo loading conditions. Any intravascular device should preferably exhibit certain characteristics, including maintaining vessel patency through a chronic outward force that will help to remodel the vessel to its intended luminal diameter, preventing excessive radial recoil upon deployment, exhibiting sufficient fatigue resistance and exhibiting sufficient ductility so as to provide adequate coverage over the full range of intended expansion diameters.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop precursory materials and the associated processes for manufacturing intravascular stents that provide device designers with the opportunity to engineer the device to specific applications.